Dragonfish

"Robert, an Oakland cop, still can't let go of Suzy, the enigmatic Vietnamese wife who left him two years ago. Now she's disappeared from her new husband, Sonny, a violent Vietnamese smuggler and gambler who's blackmailing Robert into finding her for him. As he pursues her through the sleek and seamy gambling dens of Las Vegas, shadowed by Sonny's sadistic son, "Junior," and assisted by unexpected and reluctant allies, Robert learns more about his ex-wife than he ever did during their marriage. He finds himself chasing the ghosts of her past, one that reaches back to a refugee camp in Malaysia after the fall of Saigon, as his investigation soon uncovers the existence of an elusive packet of her secret letters to someone she left behind long ago. Although Robert starts illuminating the dark corners of Suzy's life, the legacy of her sins threatens to immolate them all" -- provided by publisher.

I know that the noir mystery has been around for a long time. I know there’s a sort of “recipe” for writing one, but I also know that Dragonfish is done well. With flashbacks to life in Viet Nam and the escape on the boat connecting the story to a missing wife in Las Vegas, the author shows his worth. His writing is straightforward---just what I like in a cop mystery. I look forward to more writing by this debut author.

rere3
Aug 20, 2015

It took me a bit to get into the story - just a light read with a few things to think about.